Kingdom of the Dwarfs (1980) does for dwarves was Gnomes did for, well gnomes. It’s written by Robb Walsh, who I can’t find much about but who shares his name with a food writer (I kinda hope it is the same guy, honestly). David Wenzel’s done a bunch of stuff, probably most prominently a gorgeous graphic novel adaptation of The Hobbit in the 1989.
The text is basically a novella recounting the discovery of an ancient dwarf city called Aegol, the effort by archaeologists to uncover it and the piecing together of the history of the dwarfs using the artifacts and records found within. That frame supports the presentation of all facets of the dwarf culture, from lifestyle to metallurgy and so on, but also leaves room for a chronicle of the last king of the dwarfs in a fashion that kind of reminds me of a Norse epic. The dwarfs raised Stonehenge, incidentally, and had commerce with humans, but declined under the spread of Christianity. The kingdom eventually collapsed during a plague, with a few stragglers sailing west into history. It’s a bit sad, really, especially the tale of the prince and princess who preside over the end, attempt to relocate the kingdom, tend the ill when plague breaks out and eventually succumb to it.
Wenzel’s color art is rich and colorful, though, and often quite cozy. The black and whites remind me a bit of an earlier era, perhaps of Prince Valiant, similar to the feelings evoked by Gary Gianni’s work. Knowing his Hobbit work, though, and how lush and wonderful his views of the countryside are there, I find the interiors and subterranean spaces a bit confining. And 140+ pages of little bearded guys does get a little repetitive by the end.
Dagmar “Dag” Onyxjaw (She/Her) Dwarven Cleric of Torm
Alignment: Lawful Good
Height: Bigger than a Bread Box (4’5”) Weight: Heavier than a Small Pony (200lbs) Build: Brick Shithouse
Skin Color: Warm Brown Hair Color and Style: Reddish Brown, Straight, Shoulder Length, Half-Up Eye Color: Dark Brown
Special Characteristics: Various green tattoos of plain bands and hexagonal patterns adorn various parts of her arms, legs, and torso. Her ears and lips are pierced and usually adorned with plain steel studs.
Personality: Pert and perky, Dag tends to look on the bright side of life as best she can. She shouldn’t be mistaken for someone who isn’t willing to see darkness in life, she simply tries to make the best of whatever situation she’s in with whoever is there with her. Earnest, loyal to a fault, and dutiful beyond measure, she’s still young enough to not always have the most sense of when to keep her mouth shut. Well-read and well-traveled, she still enjoys the simple things in life; good food, good drink, and a good lay.
Background: Originally from a large family in Baulder’s Gate, Dag took interest scholastic pursuits at a young age, delving into any library, museum, church, or school that would give her an opportunity to read, study, and then express and discuss her knowledge in whatever ways through lecture or written word. It was only natural she would follow a path that lead to something magical in nature (loving the scholastic arcane information), and for a variety of reasons the church of Torm appealed to her. She trained and grew along the Sword Coast, and is now ready enough to adventure on her own. She spends her free time writing a variety of well-researched things, from articles to books, and isn’t always discrete about their contents.
(Our Waterdeep campaign is on hiatus for a short bit, so we're running Frost Maiden instead. SO! I'm gonna give a dwarven cleric a go!.)
Buy handmade artwork, go watch stage theatre, listen to live music, listen to poets, participate in dances. They’ll give you your humanity back. The screens only want to take from you - they take your attention and sell you things you don’t need these days.
"so you think a careless crayon scribble on a piece of paper made by a human is worth more than the most beautiful of masterpieces made by an ai—" Yeah I do actually
A Grand Tour of the Realms by Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb, with Clyde Caldwell cover art, one of three books included in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting boxed set, TSR, 1993
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